There are few iPhone and iPad games that deserve a bigger recommendation than Man in a Maze. Chillingo’s surprisingly enjoyable puzzler left us floored with its cheeky humor, elaborate design, and smartly implemented virtual controls. Suffice to say, it’s one of the best titles on the App Store, especially if you’re cool with mixing campy fun with deadly killer robots.

Man in a Maze is the name of a virtual game show. Its excessively cheery contestant, Chuck, wanders through each maze gathering blue orbs, where collecting them all opens the stage exit. At the same time, it’s in his best interest to collect gold coins and tokens. The former come in handy for upgrading his abilities, while the latter give him chances to spin a Price is Right style wheel, where he stands to earn even more gold coins, so long as the marker doesn’t land on the bothersome burglar. If that happens, Chuck loses some of his precious loot.

Naturally, things start off simple enough, but it doesn’t take long before the stereotypical host throws robots into the mix. These slow-moving contraptions have cones of vision, similar to enemies in the original Metal Gear Solid. Should Chuck get spotted, the droid gives chase, forcing players to make a quick escape while utilizing the environments to their advantage. For instance, robots cannot see through hedges, so Chuck can take refuge behind some shrubbery.

At least on the positive side, he has a means to fight back, thanks to a tennis ball that, once charged, destroys the robots. The ball also helps him break wooden crates to locate coins, and activate switches that aid in his escape.

Do just that, and he stands to win one of 60 different prizes, each one more ridiculous than the next, from steak knives and the Man in a Maze board game, to a cuckoo clock. This ties into the game’s hilarity. Not only does Chuck have a borderline creepy smile throughout, but the host’s cheesy dialogue takes us back to those 70s, 80s and 90s game shows.

Bottom line, Man in a Maze easily sits among the best titles on the App Store. Part puzzle, part stealth, this virtual gem provides hours of fun for just $0.99.